Timeless Tunisia

11 - 27 November 2007

This 18 day tour departs from South Africa on 11 November and flies on Emirates via Dubai to Tunis where a day will be spent exploring the Bardo Museum and the Phoenician city of Carthage while staying in the charming Andalucian village of Sidi Bou Said, perched on the cliffs overlooking the Bay of Tunis.

From Tunis the group will travel by airconditioned coach to Dougga, with its exceptional amphitheatre, and Bulla Regia, one of the most important Roman archaeological sites in Tunisia, with the remains of baths, cisterns, temples, a theater, a forum and a series of handsome villas.

The following day the interesting sites of Chemtou and Maktar will be visited en route to Kairouan.

The tour then proceeds to Tozeur where a stop at Sbeitla to visit its 1st century temples and fabulous Byzantine quarter is included. Two nights will be spent in Tozeur with excursions on the Red Lizard train through the Selja gorges and a trip to the mountain oases of Chebika, Tamerza and Mides.

We will drive across the Chott el Jerid Salt Lake to Douz. Known as the “Gateway to the Sahara”, Douz still holds fast to its ancient heritage. To capture the magic of the Sahara two magical and unforgettable nights will be spent in a luxury tented camp set within an oasis in the wilderness of the desert at Ksar Ghilane

En route to Djerba, the Berber villages of Ksar Haddada, Guermessa and Ghomrassen with their old fortified granaries and ‘ghorfas’ with their battlements and ancient fortifications will be visited.
Two nights will be spent on the island of Djerba. This island is fabled as the Land of the Lotus-Eaters, where Ulysses tarried in the course of his wanderings.

The itinerary continues via Matmata with its unique cave dwellings, and setting for the Star Wars film, and the vast oasis of Gabes, to Sfax with its ancient walled medina.

The following day, the spectacular amphitheatre of El Jem will be explored. This incredibly preserved structure hints at the wealth and magnificence of an age gone by. Travelling via Monastir, a night will be spent in Sousse with time to visit the fine medina and the Great Mosque.

From Monastir, there will be an excursion to Theburos Majus, a city that flourished from 5BC under the Carthaginians and prospered during the Roman period. The monuments here reflect its importance as a crossroads of trade and commerce.

At the end of the tour, two nights will be spent in Hammamet with time to visit pottery factories, stone masons and a weaving co-operative.

Don’t miss this opportunity to visit Tunisia on this very unique tour.